One Team Still Has a Chance to Crash the OWL Playoff Party

It’s the final countdown for teams to make the Stage 3 playoffs. With only three games left in the stage, only two teams have the shot at the final, unclaimed spot for the playoffs.

Don’t know if your team still has a shot? Take a look below.

Uprising has first seed with an undefeated run, NYXL is second seed, Valiant will be third

With their 10-0 record, the Uprising not only takes first place, but also has the power to choose who they play, effectively setting up the bracket. The NYXL also cruised to victory with a second place finish in the stage. The Valiant had a rough time, but they’ll be in as well, having locked up that third seed.

Shock, Dynasty, Outlaws, Spitfire, Mayhem, Fuel and Dragons are out

Despite currently being in fifth place, the Shock don’t have a way to add more map wins to their differential, with their last game of Stage 3 having been played on Thursday. The Gladiators will take the spot if nothing else.

Unfortunately for the Dynasty, their dropping of a map against the Spitfire put them out of contention; if they had 4-0’ed yesterday and 4-0’ed today, they would be tied with the Gladiators. Even then, the Gladiators won against the Dynasty this stage, which would have given them the go-ahead to claim that final spot.

Everyone else has been pretty much decided for at least the past few days.

Gladiators’ fate is out of their hands

Currently, the Gladiators are 6-4 with a six map differential. They’re the reason that the Shock cannot make it in, thanks to being five maps behind the Gladiators. Their bid into the Playoffs depends, mainly, on how the Valiant and Fusion game goes.

The Gladiators are going to be cheering on their fellow LA team tomorrow for sure; if VAL can take just one map – not even win, just take the map – they can seal the deal for the boys in purple. If Valiant can’t, they’ll need to play a tiebreaker round against the Fusion to make the final stand for that final spot.

Fusion needs to 4-0 Valiant

Fusion could play spoiler to the LA party if they sweep the Valiant in tomorrow’s game. Historically speaking, that has not happened yet: Valiant swept the Fusion 0-4 in Stage 1 and then narrowly defeated them in Stage 2 in a 3-2 scoreline. If that happens, they’ll need to play a tiebreaker against the Gladiators for that final spot.

Looking Forward…

Though the Stage 3 battle is close to finished, the Season 1 war is far from done. Stage 4 will bring on a final do-or-die situation for many teams. As of right now, NYXL is still dominating, but the fight for the top five is a close one. If anything, those out of Stage 3 will have a lot to look forward to.